Pattaya Mail Kid’s Corner

Kids’ Corner

HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]:

Career Interviews for Year 11s at GIS

Handling the Third Culture Kid Syndrome

Earth Week at I.S.E.

I.S.E. says farewell to educator

GIS give Songkran presents to children at the Camillian Center

Career Interviews for Year 11s at GIS

Year 11 students at Garden International School will be sitting their IGCSE examinations in the next few months and have been discussing their futures with tutors Ms. Block & Mr. Daniels.

Team and Mr. Kays after a successful interview

Many of them are interested in going to university or continuing with the International Baccalaureate offered at GIS, so the tutors arranged for Mr. Kays from Foster Wheeler to visit the students at Garden International School and pretend to interview them for a university course or job.

The students found it a really worthwhile experience as it gave them an insight into what to expect at their first interview. Many thanks to Mr. Kays for giving up his time and for the feedback he gave afterwards on each of the students’ performances.

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Handling the Thris Culture Kid Syndrome

by Katherine Iglinski

It is that time of year: exams are almost over, summer plans are made, and that nostalgic feeling comes of another year gone by. All that remains is that hair raising question of what do I do now? You have waited all four years of your high school career to become the oldest one on campus and now that it is over you have got to prepare yourself to start the process all over again as a freshmen, only this time with a lot more freedom.

You are going to university, and just like every other first year university student you have to deal with a hysterical mother worrying about her baby being all alone, the fear of getting the roommate from hell who thinks that everything you own is fair game, and of course doing your own laundry (who knew “reds” and “whites” should not go into the same load of laundry?)

However, growing up overseas gives you an additional concern... how will you adapt to moving back home? Does a life with no maids, no 30-degree weather all year round, and no spicy Thai food actually exist? Amazingly enough yes, but it takes some getting used to. So here are a few helpful hints to make that transition from tropical high school life to parentless university living.

Chances are your classes are no longer going to be as small and intimate as they are now. Be ready for this, and do not become intimidated by the large classes. Remember, everyone else in there is just like you; they are all in their first year and are just as lost and confused as you feel.

Get involved. University is meant to be the best years of your life, so have a little bit of school pride and find that sport that you like or committee you want to join. Remember, there are no parents or teachers to give you that gentle nudge you may have had in high school.

Be organized; know where your classes are earlier than 5 minutes before you are supposed to be there. University can be a zoo the first few weeks of class with everyone running around trying to find where they are going, so you will feel a lot more relaxed if you know where you are going beforehand.

If you are going somewhere cold be prepared for this, be very prepared. The winter blues are not just a fallacy people dream up, they actually happen, so try to stay active in the winter by going to the gym or whatever else you need to do to keep yourself from feeling too cagey.

Have an answer ready when people ask you, “Where are you from?” The question will arise a lot during the first few weeks and it is a good idea to decide how you want to answer this.

Be prepared to answer a lot about Thailand, but use your best judgement on this. For those who really seem interested spend as much time as you want telling them about this tropical paradise, but for those who seem to just be asking to be polite, have a simple answer in mind. Remember, it may be a little more difficult for them to relate to your stories of Thailand if they have never been here, or cannot even point it out on a map.

Try not to become impatient with people when they do not understand what living overseas is like. The idea is a little more complicated for people than you would think.

So there you have it, a simple guide to handling the third culture kid syndrome. It is a life that few have experienced, but all that have cherish. University is a big step, but trust this second year university survivor, if you know how to do your laundry you are well ahead of the game.

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Earth Week at I.S.E.

Children at I.S.E. experienced a variety of Earth Week activities organized and planned by Middle School math and science teacher Mark Sengel. Mr Sengel and his sixth grade students coordinated activities that were enjoyed by students in Pre-K to 8th grade.

Children were treated to a visual feast as they viewed the artwork of Andy Goldsworthy in the computer lab. Goldsworthy uses only natural material to create his art pieces.

8th graders Brian and James helping 2nd graders plant orchids.

As a follow-up, a bag or box of natural materials was delivered to each classroom. Keeping Goldsworthy’s art in mind, each class was asked to create their own art piece. Each work was photographed and scanned into the computer for public viewing.

Students also participated in a plant scavenger hunt where they were asked to find and identify various plants and trees around the I.S.E. Plants and trees were labeled with numbers and children were given clues in order to guess the identity. Their assignment was to match the clue labeled to the number.

As a result of the scavenger hunt, students have become more observant and learned more about the environment that surrounds them. Students also beautified the school by planting orchids around the I.S.E. campus.

Mr Sengel’s Earth Week Activities provided a good opportunity to appreciate, reflect and learn about our environment.

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I.S.E. says farewell to educator

After 7 years at the International School Eastern Seaboard Nancy Bell, the middle school Humanities teacher, will be leaving in June to go to Shanghai American School.

Nancy Bell will be leaving the ISE in June to go to Shanghai American School.

A former teacher at ISB (International School Bangkok) Nancy was part of the team brought in to established ISE in August 1994. Nancy was instrumental in the development of the philosophy and mission of ISE’s middle school programme.

Over these 7 years Nancy has taken on a variety of positions including; elementary school computer, athletics director, middle school Health and middle school Humanities.

Middle school years can be difficult for students and parents. Nancy has always brought to ISE’s middle School an innate understanding of this age group. She has willingly counseled parents as well as students. Many families have benefited from her experience and personnel involvement. “Whether during a break, lunch or a open drop, Ms. Bell’s door was always open to everybody. She knew that it was hard for adolescents to grow up and always had an open ear for us. Even now I sometimes still go to talk to her and ask for advice. She has helped a lot of students, including me, through the difficult time of adolescence,” says Daisy Vogt, currently a grade 11 student.

With her insight & sensitivity to Thai culture Nancy has helped smooth the way for a number of teachers and students new to Thailand. She’s been an invaluable resource as she’s shared her love of the country and its natural resources. In particular, as an accomplished birder, Nancy has been responsible for introducing Thailand’s rich and varied bird life to students and colleagues at ISE.

The ISE community wishes Nancy all the best as she moves on acknowledging that, as she does, she’ll leave a gap that will be very hard to fill.

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GIS give Songkran presents to children at the Camillian Center

Staff, pupils and parents at Garden International School joined together to make this Songkran special for all the children at the Camillian Center. Each class chose a child to collect a variety of presents, which would all fit into a medium sized post office box. It is amazing what you can fit into a box to bring some happiness into the lives of children!

Children at the Camillian Center had a Thai New Year to remember

The boxes were filled with a mixture of cuddly toys, games, cosmetics, knick-knacks, jewelry and cloths as children and staff bought presents, each with a specific child in mind.

The children came to GIS to join in a fun Easter celebration day and joined GIS children on an Easter egg hunt and egg decorating. A special lunch was provided for the children who then played in the playground with the primary school. In the afternoon they enjoyed using a variety of construction toys to build all sorts of interesting models. At the end of the afternoon the children were presented with their individual boxes and staff also had games of badminton, bingo etc., to take back for general use at the center.

A good time was had by all and pupils, parents and staff of GIS made Thai New Year special for these children.

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